Deschutes National Forest             Sisters District

Lake Billy Chinook Area

THE LAKE BILLY CHINOOK CAMPGROUNDS are more remote than most of the others we manage, but one of them, Perry South, is the most popular of the USFS sites in the Mid Cascades. There is a very popular boat ramp at the lakeside of the campground. This area along with the dock is popular with boaters and swimmers alike. Because of the distance that needs to be traveled to get here and the ruggedness of the roads, campers usually stay for at least several days to a week. In the early season when our other USFS campgrounds have rain, this area can usually be counted on to be dry and that is part of the area’s popularity.

             Families have a strong presence in this campground and most are here to enjoy the water and sunshine. The fact that this area is so popular speaks for itself. It is a fun place to be, but there are three areas of caution. First, if you don’t know your way around, take a good map. The way in, is difficult from Hwy 20, which is the shortest way to get there. If you are coming from the Willamette Valley, take a left on the Indian Ford Road (Road 11) that is just past Black Butte on the way to Sisters. The first 10 miles of the road are paved. The next 20 miles are gravel. After going 10 miles on the gravel after the pavement, you will need to turn to the right. If you follow the signs you shouldn't have any problems. If you are coming from Portland or Eastern Oregon you might find it a lot easier to go through Madras. US 64 gets there from the Madras area, and is paved almost to whole way except the last 3 miles. The easiest route off highway 20 is to take US 11(as described above), but there is also a scenic route through Camp Sherman if you have a good map. A gravel road takes from the campground road near Pioneer Ford Campground, but it is poorly marked. There is also a road that goes past the airport in Sisters, but again a good map is recommended.  The second area of caution is if you are taking a road from Camp Sherman, Sisters or Indian Ford (easiest) be prepared to go slowly. The roads are mostly dirt or gravel and rutted. If you are taking your RV, make sure things are put away.  

      The third area of concern is that like other campgrounds on lakes there are times especially early in the season when the late quiet times are hard to enforce. However, this is a safe campground that has little trouble except on Memorial Weekend, but if you are not a boater and you are just looking for a quiet campground, this is not as good as other places like on the Metolius or Cold Springs. This is a very popular campground for boaters and water enthusiasts. If you are a day use person, please realize that a $5 day use fee is charged. Most campground sites this year are first come - first served.  (The best sites do fill up early though. Your best time to come in is on Sunday). About a third of the camp sites have gone into the NRRS camp reservation system and are now available for reservations.. If you reserve a site and when you come in, you find a better non-reserved site that you would prefer, you will be allowed to change sites, and transfer your prepaid fees, IF you get permission from the hosts.

       If for no other reason you might want to camp here to find out why this campground is traditionally the most popular campground in the USFS inventory in Oregon.